{"id":211,"date":"2015-01-13T21:45:59","date_gmt":"2015-01-14T02:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=211"},"modified":"2015-01-13T21:47:01","modified_gmt":"2015-01-14T02:47:01","slug":"less-is-more-making-the-move-to-a-smaller-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/activeseniorsdigest.ca\/wp_activeseniorsdigest\/?p=211","title":{"rendered":"Less is more: Making the move to a smaller home"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Downsizing\"<\/a>
This room is a before shot prior to being staged.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Katie Richard\/Active Senior\u2019s Digest<\/p>\n

Often times, as the old adage goes, less is more.<\/p>\n

This may be true for the seniors whose four-bedroom home that was once filled with the pitter patter of little feet before it became the \u201chang-out spot\u201d for neighbourhood kids is now a place of peace.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true for the older adults whose two-car garage that used to house the ski equipment, buckets of sidewalk chalk , bubbles and rows of bicycles has become empty.<\/p>\n

\"Downsizing\"<\/a>
This is what the room looked like after it had been staged.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Downsizing is part of the circle of life, but it isn\u2019t always one that comes easy.<\/p>\n

You can still remember the excitement of purchasing the home. Perhaps it was the one your children took their first steps in. The one they completed their homework in all those years and the one they left to head off to college.<\/p>\n

Over the 30 or 40 years, and through children and life, you\u2019ve accumulated a good amount of treasures \u2013 and perhaps some that have turned to trash too.<\/p>\n

But the three flights of stairs that once were a breeze to climb have taken their toll on your knees. It\u2019s just you and your partner, alone in a home built for five.<\/p>\n

So the difficult decision to move is made. But what about all that stuff?<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re finding more and more baby boomers are downsizing from homes into a condo or even a rental,\u201d says Vicky Riley Keyes, president and founder, Red Coats Moving Solutions. \u201cMore and more people are renting instead of purchasing a condo to perhaps save their money for things like travelling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riley Keyes says the majority of their clients are 65 and older. Since it\u2019s inception in 2004, the Toronto-based organization has helped more than 1,000 clients \u2018declutter\u2019 and downsize.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was working in a retirement community at the time and realized there were a lot of people who were overwhelmed at the idea of downsizing,\u201d she says of the start of Red Coats.<\/p>\n

The task can be daunting, but with a little preparation, it can go a lot smoother, the expert explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually the process starts when they\u2019ve already decided to move and they\u2019re overwhelmed at what they\u2019ve accumulated,\u201d she says. \u201cAs much as we\u2019d encourage people to think about this sooner, (in most cases) they really don\u2019t start until it\u2019s really absolutely necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n

After deciding what best suits you and your situation \u2013 albeit a retirement home, condo, apartment or smaller home \u2013 you can then begin to figure out what stays and what goes, Riley Keyes says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe always start at the end in mind. We look at where they\u2019re going,\u201d she says, adding this helps the senior decide on how much they can take and then eventually what exactly they can take with them. \u201cTypically people are moving into a one bedroom and den or two bedrooms and den.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not always that simple though.<\/p>\n

Often times a senior\u2019s new place to call home won\u2019t be able to accommodate the often large and bulky furniture they have.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes it means they can take their possessions and sometimes it means they have to buy new,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Riley Keyes suggests going through the house, one room at time, tagging items based on whether it can go with you, can be sold, donated, recycled or thrown out.<\/p>\n

For those who are still leery about downsizing, or perhaps aren\u2019t quite ready to do so yet, she suggests spending 15 minutes a day or per week tackling one room at a time.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you break it down into small tasks, it\u2019s much more manageable,\u201d she says. \u201cYou\u2019ll accomplish a lot more. Stay focused on one room (at a time).\u201d<\/p>\n

Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects to saying farewell to your family home and possessions is the sentimental value it holds, she explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe emotional attachment to things is really the biggest hurdle people have to overcome when downsizing,\u201d she says, adding she was once helping an older man who had remarried after his wife died so the two had accumulated a lot.<\/p>\n

In the basement was an old chair that the man said had sentimental value because it was his grandmother\u2019s.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said he could still see her sitting in it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

But Riley Keyes asked him if he used it as it was clear it had been stored downstairs and looked to be too low for him to sit it. He told her he hadn\u2019t used it in years.<\/p>\n

She had him sit in the chair and took a photo so that he could keep the memory alive without bringing the chair with him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about trying to find innovative ways to preserve memories,\u201d she says. \u201cWe find dining suites are the hardest things to get rid of (for people).\u201d<\/p>\n

While they mean well by it, Riley Keyes says often times parents or grandparents hold on to things thinking their children or grandchildren will want them, but it\u2019s not typically the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople are holding on to things for their children or grandchildren thinking they want it,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s not very often they will. They\u2019re not interested in your things. They want to start fresh.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another thing Red Coats sees often is children storing things at their parent\u2019s homes for years.<\/p>\n

One lady was still storing her daughter\u2019s books from university 30 years later, unbeknownst to the daughter, Riley Keyes says. Parents should reach out to children to claim their items.<\/p>\n

No matter the reason, downsizing has become a reality, and will become reality, for thousands of seniors each year.<\/p>\n

With proper planning, and the helps of others, it doesn\u2019t have to be difficult.<\/p>\n

There are ways to make it easier, Riley Keyes says, and ways to do it that keep the memories alive.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Katie Richard\/Active Senior\u2019s Digest Often times, as the old adage goes, less is more. 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